Home - Word&Way

Featured

We are excited to announce a new book unpacking seven types of misuses of Scripture by influential preachers and politicians pushing Christian Nationalism today, officially out Oct. 7 from Chalice Press and available for pre-order now.

‘Desperation is a spiritual gift, and so it gives you a chance to experiment with things that, you know, 10 years ago were off the table,’ said the Rev. Kenda Creasy Dean, a Princeton Theological Seminary professor.

Oklahoma’s new social studies standards for K-12 public school students, already infused with references to the Bible, were revised at the direction of state School Superintendent Ryan Walters.

No posts were found.

Videos

Church

Once relegated exclusively to gay bars and nightclubs, drag is increasingly in the open these days — at libraries, music festivals, and, yes, churches.

Two commissions overseeing research into the denomination's part in the assimilationist schools are asking Episcopal bishops to grant access to archives in their regions and to recruit research assistants of their own.

The announcement comes less than two weeks before the election of the denomination’s next leader.

Nation

Idaho pastor Doug Wilson referred to White-Cain as an ‘erratic woman preacher who has been all over the map.’

Interfaith Alliance conducted a briefing featuring several notable speakers who covered the Trump administration’s unprecedented violations of religious freedom during its first month and discussed the best ways to counter through collective action.

This issue of A Public Witness heads to the city that never sleeps to combat a zombie version of a famous biblical story.

World

The tragedy was the latest to hit Iraq’s Christian minority, which has dwindled to a fraction of its former size over the past two decades.

AI is a growing interest for the U.N., as for national governments, multinational groups, tech companies, and others.

The U.S. continues to not only ignore the Convention on Cluster Munitions but also to ship the weapons to Ukraine. So this issue of A Public Witness uncovers the history of cluster bombs and the moral failure of nations that continue to utilize them.

Editorials

Brian KaylorIf Baptists have a guiding word it would likely be “cooperative” — at least in theory. Yet, it seems we no longer believe in the c-word. Many Baptist churches have a denominational

Brian KaylorA couple local public school ballot initiatives recently inspired me to go door-to-door with my wife and five-year-old son. I told my son to say “vote for J & C” to indicate

Brian KaylorAttending church with a preschool child can improve one’s prayer life. I silently hope my five-year-old son won’t say anything embarrassing when the leader for children’s time asks a question. I pray

Word&Way Voices

Angela Denker writes that "Love is Blind" is the reality television show she loves to hate. The premise of the show is that they’re going to prove if love can be grounded in things other than appearance. But she argues this idea that we can escape and transcend our bodies

Rick Santos, president and CEO of Church World Service, writes that rather than ascending to a place of power through brute strength, wealth, or status, the life and mission of Jesus are enacted through humility, presence, and connection. As he is with all of us, we too are called to

Joy Martinez-Marshall, pastor of First Baptist Church in Lincoln, Nebraska, writes that the Christ child knows what it is like to be born in a place not his own to a world that did not value his humanity and dignity. Today, innocent lives are caught in the middle of political

E-Newsletter

This issue of A Public Witness looks at the problems with recent public school chaplaincy bills by considering what a chaplain really is and what religious freedom actually looks like.

This issue of A Public Witness digs into recent data from Lifeway Research and the Land Center to see what we can actually learn about a significant evangelical denomination and why the framing of the report misses the mark.

This issue of A Public Witness takes you inside the Summit for Religious Freedom to hear about why church-state separation matters for democracy and the vitality of the Christian witness.

Sign up to receive full essays in your inbox!

Recent Episodes

Books

In God Spare the Girls, Abigail and Caroline are the daughters of celebrity evangelical pastor Luke Nolan. While they aren’t always able to abide by scripture exactly, Abigail and Caroline more or less believe in their religion and their father

Beau Underwood reviews Bruce Reyes-Chow’s new book, ‘In Defense of Kindness: Why it Matters, How it Changes our Lives, and How it Can Save the World,’ praising how Reyes-Chow pushes back against superficial understandings of “kindness.”

Senior Editor Beau Underwood reviews the new book 'Praying with Our Feet: Pursuing Justice and Healing on the Streets' by Lindsay Krinks, a street chaplain and social justice activist in Nashville, Tennessee.

Frederick Christian Bauerschmidt talks with Word&Way about his book 'The Love that is God.' He discusses his reasons for writing, the book’s main message, and why “love” is not a sentimental idea but central to what Christians believe about God.